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Dive into the posts below & add your voice to the conversation.

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Do you have to sit for long periods of time? How does your body like it?

Today, I’m writing this post standing up – with my laptop on the counter, as opposed to sitting down.

I hurt my back this week from sitting at the computer for too long. I got up after working at my desk for several hours, which can be typical given the nature of my work; that day, my body gave me a not-so-pleasant reminder that it doesn’t like to be sedentary.

When talking to people over the past few months, many have independently mentioned how years ago I was “floundering” in terms of transitioning from recent graduate to established professional; now, they love how I have found my balance. Each has used that exact word, floundering, which means: “to make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance” (thefreedictionary.com). The reason the word was used was because I took a different route than what they were used to so they thought I was off course. However, I never thought I was "floundering," I used the term exploring instead. I knew exactly where I was going and working hard to get there.

Are you addicted to sugar but don’t even realize it? I was, until a month ago.

For years, people had mentioned that sugar caused me to get excited. But I didn’t think I was addicted to sugar; I thought I was mindful about what I was consuming. However during a recent conversation with a friend, I became enlightened. The information led me to dig deeper and learn more about my sugar consumption.

This quote in my last post gathered quite a few responses, “Passion is positive anger; it is anger harnessed into constructive action. For example, you feel angry that someone or something you care about has been harmed in some way; therefore, you resolve to do everything in your power to prevent such injustice from happening again. This is an example of anger harnessed to bring about positive change.” Readers and job seekers wanted advice to harness their energy into turning their dreams into reality, valuing themselves, and not losing hope.

From my personal journey over the past few weeks, I discovered a common thread: I need the courage to stop feeling intimidated by others. I must develop the courage to speak my truth to everyone – no holds barred. With most people I can freely communicate what’s on my heart; but with a select few, I lack the courage to express how I feel.

With these people, I keep my thoughts and frustrations locked inside. I get worried that if I share how I feel or think, they will not like what I have to say. Sometimes I have been excluded for my views, even though I spoke politely. I have also had others get upset, or change the topic when I speak. Most often, I would respond by keeping quiet, playing down my views, or agreeing with them. Whichever way you look at it, I lacked courage to stand up for what I believed with these people. I have come to realize that I ‘gave up’ on my views because I like to make others happy – more so than myself. I guess I’m a ‘people pleaser.’

Is there a common theme to the life lessons you are learning lately? I find that when I’m being taught something important, the message is usually repeated in different situations throughout my life. That way, I’ll pay attention – even if I don’t want to!

This happened recently at a personal development seminar where I was a participant. We were asked to list personal obstacles in our life journeys. Like a reflex, I wrote down ‘COURAGE’ and circled it. Though I didn’t understand why this word mattered to me, I was soon to get inklings.

Participants were asked to discuss the meaning behind what they had written down with others close by. We helped one another; I was shown that my ‘courage’ meant developing the strength to speak my story on a general level.

Someone asked me "Who are your role models?", and to be honest, I had a hard time answering it. I couldn’t think of very many females of my generation (i.e., in their twenties) who I wanted to aspire to be like. The person who asked me the question was looking for examples of famous people.

I have had encounters with some famous people who I looked up to when I was a child, but when I met them in person years later, they were unfriendly and standoffish. I lost respect for them as the image they portray in the media is disconnected from the real version of themselves. There are many people that are the same onscreen as they are in person; those I respect and model after.

My birthday is coming up this week. In the past couple of years, I felt like a failure around this time of year because I was reminded of milestones of adulthood that I hadn’t yet achieved. However, this year my outlook has changed and I am embracing the day!

As it is the start of the school year, I thought it would be appropriate to ask the former principal of Wycliffe College, Dr. Reginald Stackhouse, to share his life lessons with us. Reg is a prominent educator, a Canadian politician, and a friend of my family. I thought it would be fitting to ask him to be part of my “Profiles of Perseverance” series as he has persevered through trying times and has left a huge impact on so many lives. He is a mentor, and I am honoured to share his advice. Reg knows the importance of nurturing the next generation and exemplifies this in how he lives his life. Thank you, Reg, for taking part in the series!

Bethany Butzer, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, researcher and yoga teacher who helps people create a life they love. She offers tools, techniques and resources that promote wellness on all levels: mind, body and spirit. She serves as a catalyst for positive change and a guide on your path toward living in authenticity. Check out Bethany's book, The Antidepressant Antidote, follow her on Facebookand Twitter, read her blog posts on Positively Positive, and join her whole-self health revolution here.

Linda Bacon, PhD, is a researcher on the inside track of weight regulation science – a scientist whose three graduate degrees, research, and clinical expertise uniquely prepare her to understand and translate the physiological, psychological, and socio-cultural underpinnings of weight control. An internationally recognized authority on weight and health, Dr. Bacon has published her work in top scientific journals as well as the highly acclaimed popular press book, Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight.

I'm excited that Dr. Ashley Solomon is sharing her thoughts with us today about perseverance. I really admire her career and accomplishments. Thank you, Ashley, for taking part!

Ashley Solomon, Psy.D, is a psychologist who specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, body image, trauma, and serious mental illness. She loves ice cream, yoga, and sleep. You can connect with her on her website (www.nourishing-the-soul.com) or on Facebook and Twitter. I recommend that you do.

I am a strong believer that goals should be written down. It is easy to set a goal (i.e., have a mental plan), but I think it is more effective to have the goals some place where you can refer back to them in detail. I find if I have my goals written down somewhere, they provide me with a greater sense of accountability. Therefore, since spring is here and bathing suit season is just around the corner, I thought I would share a plan for getting back in shape. Since many think their stomach is their problem area, I thought I would focus on strengthening our cores. Check out the detailed plan below. You can use this template for detailing any goal you wish to achieve.

I love when messages come into our hearts at the moment we need them the most. I had such a chance encounter today.

I went into a coffee shop this morning for my morning java, where I saw numerous people on their laptops. As I was waiting in line, I overheard people talking about their favourite blogs. There it hit me: my thoughts are online and totally public. Anyone can access my blog and know the random thoughts that are going through my head. All of a sudden, I became a little anxious about “putting myself out there” through my blog. I feared that people may judge me, thinking I am weak for exposing my insecurities and being vulnerable on my blog.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend the other day, which made me think about an earlier blog post I wrote, "The Value of Authenticity in Relationships." My friend and I have known each other for a number of years, and we have tried to be authentic with each other. While I thought we were close, recent events happened that pushed us awayfrom each other and made us only discuss superficial topics. My friend then brought up how I was a "frustrating friend," as I only talked about superficial topics; so, the friend had lost interest in our friendship. We were both going through hardships, yet we did not share with each other. This example shows that it is even hard to reach out to share with your friends.

Does convenience come with a price? These days you really don't have to do much exercise if you don't want to. You can have almost anything delivered to your house (i.e. food and supplies). Also, if you commute to a desk job or are a student there is a lot of sitting involved there too. Think about it, many individuals get up and take either the bus or drive to school/work, they then sit in lecture or at a computer doing their work. Then they come home. The setup isn't designed to include much physical activity. There is so much sitting that researchers have labelled in the "Sitting Disease".

When I look back over my lifetime it seems that whenever my girlfriends and I get together we talk about relationships. Some mention what they are looking for in the "perfect" guy, others are mentioning about how they aren't liking the relationship they are in.

One of my good friends mentioned how she made a list of generally what she's looking for in her perfect guy. Oh and when I say perfect, I mean perfect/best fit for her.